Taste of Dubai 2011

What you need to know about Dubai's annual foodie festival

By
Oliver Robinson
22 February 2011

Since its inception in 2009, Taste of Dubai has been the city’s largest food festival – think food stalls, drinks in the sun, live cooking demonstrations, more food stalls, and the chance to rub shoulders with some of the world’s most famous chefs. Taste of Dubai was inspired by the Taste of Kerala festival in India, yet our version has outgrown the original and offers visiting foodies (about 14,000, judging by last year’s event) the chance to eat their way around the city without having to leave the grassy enclaves of Media City.

Food aside, this year’s Taste of Dubai, taking place on March 3-5, also features a new entertainment stage, where Elton John and Robbie Williams tribute acts will treat crowds to some classic anthems. There’s also a kids’ zone, a football pitch and a Little Explorers workshop to keep the kids entertained while you quaff and scoff your way some of the best food and drink in the city. But perhaps the two most exciting changes for this year’s Taste of Dubai are the opening hours – noon until midnight, with no breaks like last year – and the fact that organisers have done away with the pesky token system of previous festivals: guests can simply use cash and credit cards at the different stalls. To give you a head start, we’ve rounded up some of the local restaurants you can expect to see at this year’s event. Enjoy!

Taste of Dubai takes place on March 3-5 at Dubai Media City. Tickets Dhs60 per day in advance, Dhs75 on the door, Dhs200 VIP, under 12s free. www.timeouttickets.com.